8:27 pm - 10/28/2012
I'm not big on overt gore, slasher stories or things that are overly sadistic or cruel. I didn't like Joyce Carol Oates' book Zombie, for example, because it put me inside the mind of a psycho for the entire novel--and it was like an overdose of psychosis. There's only so much of that sort of thing I can take.
These books kept me squarely on the side of the protagonist, which is what I like. At the end of the day, there simply has to be a little sweetness to go home to.
This book frightened me because it featured the thing I fear most of all--the evil that could be lurking about in an ordinary suburban neighborhood, a horror that slithers just beneath the thin veneer of everyday life. I knew people like the characters in this book. It would not take much for me to imagine how their lives could be transmuted into sheer terror by something that understood the nature of their innermost fears.
A modern-day retelling of the Dracula myth, this beautifully constructed work was at once evocative and chilling. It reminded me of why vampires really frightened me as a child, in the pre-Twilight fashion, when they were beings molded out of an ancient evil, predatory creatures that lived among us like wolves in sheeps' clothing.
As creepy as the Academy Award-winning film based on this was, the novel was more disturbing--primarily because of the iconic villain Hannibal Lecter, who was far more frightening (and fascinating) than the killer featured in the story ever thought of being. His "psycho genius" was part of the inspiration for my own novel's villain.
A cult favorite written in an unusual style which is both engrossing and disturbing. It's hard to describe--and hard to put down. You have to read it to understand.
Another classic King tale featuring the scariest vampire I ever remember reading about. King says that modern-day vampires have been ruined because they are all "sparkly," and I agree with him. The vampire in "Salem's Lot" was more Nosferatu than Edward. And there were none of the ridiculous peri-pubescent teenage girl trappings that we read about today. This vampire was simply one of the Undead.
A book in some ways similar to King's classic It, this beautifully written novel is about a group of childhood friends in the summer of 1960 who must confront an ancient and pervasive evil. It reminded me of my own childhood--of the freedom of summer and the fears that went along with the summertime's quasi-independence.
Ray Bradbury is a poet cloaked in a novelist's garb, and I enjoy his descriptions, his dialogue and the way he weaves a tale. This story has a deliciously supernatural element--and, again, is about the evil that is hiding in the most seemingly innocuous places. Besides, circuses are inherently both strange and wonderful--and fraught with the aura of the unknown. How better to introduce that concept than with a tale such as this one
Article by Mark E. Murphy at Huff Post
Scary Books That Will Scare The S*** Out Of You
I'm not big on overt gore, slasher stories or things that are overly sadistic or cruel. I didn't like Joyce Carol Oates' book Zombie, for example, because it put me inside the mind of a psycho for the entire novel--and it was like an overdose of psychosis. There's only so much of that sort of thing I can take.
These books kept me squarely on the side of the protagonist, which is what I like. At the end of the day, there simply has to be a little sweetness to go home to.
This book frightened me because it featured the thing I fear most of all--the evil that could be lurking about in an ordinary suburban neighborhood, a horror that slithers just beneath the thin veneer of everyday life. I knew people like the characters in this book. It would not take much for me to imagine how their lives could be transmuted into sheer terror by something that understood the nature of their innermost fears.
A modern-day retelling of the Dracula myth, this beautifully constructed work was at once evocative and chilling. It reminded me of why vampires really frightened me as a child, in the pre-Twilight fashion, when they were beings molded out of an ancient evil, predatory creatures that lived among us like wolves in sheeps' clothing.
As creepy as the Academy Award-winning film based on this was, the novel was more disturbing--primarily because of the iconic villain Hannibal Lecter, who was far more frightening (and fascinating) than the killer featured in the story ever thought of being. His "psycho genius" was part of the inspiration for my own novel's villain.
A cult favorite written in an unusual style which is both engrossing and disturbing. It's hard to describe--and hard to put down. You have to read it to understand.
Another classic King tale featuring the scariest vampire I ever remember reading about. King says that modern-day vampires have been ruined because they are all "sparkly," and I agree with him. The vampire in "Salem's Lot" was more Nosferatu than Edward. And there were none of the ridiculous peri-pubescent teenage girl trappings that we read about today. This vampire was simply one of the Undead.
A book in some ways similar to King's classic It, this beautifully written novel is about a group of childhood friends in the summer of 1960 who must confront an ancient and pervasive evil. It reminded me of my own childhood--of the freedom of summer and the fears that went along with the summertime's quasi-independence.
Ray Bradbury is a poet cloaked in a novelist's garb, and I enjoy his descriptions, his dialogue and the way he weaves a tale. This story has a deliciously supernatural element--and, again, is about the evil that is hiding in the most seemingly innocuous places. Besides, circuses are inherently both strange and wonderful--and fraught with the aura of the unknown. How better to introduce that concept than with a tale such as this one
Article by Mark E. Murphy at Huff Post
"The Shining" is by far the scariest Stephen King book.
or maybe it was just because I read it while snowed inside my house, alone during a raging blizzard.
I didn't know these were available as audiobooks, though. I should download them for long roadtrips.
so then they took the books out the library.
I remember one story about a girl who work a ribbon around her neck and finally her husband asked her why and she showed him, and her head fell off.
But then I would get pissed off and cheat and go back if I died.
I'm not really a horror fan, so I can't claim to have read most of these books. I will say that I couldn't make it through The Historian, however, the style drove me nuts.
I don't mind novels that try to sound like histories, but this just came off as pretentious and the footnotes were a distraction instead of adding depth like they were supposed to.
It was so boring. It took me weeks to finish, and I remember just feeling let down and pissed I actually went out and bought a copy.
The setup is strange, but I think the plot itself is generally straightforward. Go for it. Don't skimp on the introduction either.
And it's definitely a tough read. I think I read it more to say I finished it than because I was dying to find out what happened.
I've read The Green Mile, the short story book with Shawshank in it, IT, Cujo, Carrie & The Shining, and I enjoyed all of them.
i'd recommend starting with 'the shining' or 'pet sematary'
I love everything I've ever read by King aside from Bag of Bones and The Green Mile because he takes the Magical Negro™ trope too damned far. I know TGM gets love but I've never wanted to tear a book to shreds more than that one... except for Bag of Bones.
"house with a clock in it's walls" is prob my fav childhood book aside from HP
I sort of liked this series, even if the fourth one had ghosts (oop).
However, this was before I knew about the urban legend about the babysitter and the man upstairs.
And I liked this one as a kid. Never read the sequel, though.
I was incredibly disappointed when I realized that they were actually shit books. I couldn't get through them, they were so bad. :-(
2. that is the only Christopher Pike book I own
i would add "the haunting of hill house" too. it's a slow build, but absolutely chilling by the time you get to the end.
I JUST read The Haunting of Hill House. So good!
right now. Its difficult because there are two stories going on simultaneously, but I think that's why I like it.